I know things still look a little weird - please bear with me - I've been focusing on getting the functionality up and running ASAP so people who had urgent questions can get answers, etc.

As you've probably noticed, the forum looks *totally* different today than it did yesterday. I finally migrated us over to the forum system I have wanted to use for quite some time now, largely because Mark and I were getting upwards of 30 spam registrations a day, and we just couldn't keep up with it. The old forum wasn't particularly robust about making the user review process easy for the mods, and the new system does that - and SO much more.

We've got some great new features and sections that I encourage you to use as soon as you're ready. (I know the interface seems very different, but I promise you'll pick it up quickly.) Namely....

2. Downloads - this is a sort of repository for all the good stuff we come across (or create), including reference guides, powerpoint presentations, sample proposals - whatever you may find useful in your jobs. I've uploaded a few to get us started

3. Living Avatars - this is a pointless but fun feature that allows you to cash in points (based on the number of posts you have made) to create your own custom avatars. The more you post, the more goodies you can "buy". We'll be adding to this over time, hopefully with some ACO/HLEO related items - and more. To check this feature out, go to your profile section and click on Edit Avatar.

4. Calendar - Post your upcoming events here! And if you update your profile to include your birthdate, your birthday will be added automatically. (Don't worry, you have the option of hiding the year!)

5. New FAQ - I haven't updated this section yet, but I'm working on it.

New Features

1. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for posts and signatures - this lets you use an MS Word style interface to format your posts, using bold, italic, etc without having to remember any fancy codes.

2. Similar Threads - at the bottom of every thread, there is a section called "Similar Threads". The system looks at the words used in the current thread, and attempts to find threads that cover similar topics.

3. Add attachments to posts - now if you want to show a photo or file, you don't have to find somewhere to upload it to the internet and then paste a link, you can include the file right with your post. (Only registered members may download attachments.)

I know there's more - will post as I remember them If anyone's having any trouble posting, sending PMs, uploading pictures, etc, please let me know. This is a great forum system, but the permissions can be a little tricky to hammer out.

Okay, it looks a little less weird now, at least. Still not perfect, and I have to swap out the images in the header for something a bit more topical, but I'm not sure if I can get to that today - I have to DJ a friend's wedding in a few hours. I'll do what I can tho